Blind Hog and Acorn

Might get down near 30F at the farm by dawn, Acorn has covered up the tender plants, closed the ends of the low tunnel.  Brought in Bravo and Charlie goosies' eggs in, Delta is sitting on hers today. Fun trip last week to Crystal Bridges and the Momentary. Goats are doing well with the pasture growth, Acorn milked 4 gallons and is attempting an Emmental cheese.  4 gallons of milk and the chee...

Raised beds have been getting improved with goat barn compost. Blind Hog has been moving rocks from one pile to another. Acorn baked a loaf of sourdough.  Been feasting on asparagus and salad greens from the garden. "Barely used" shoes from Ebay are the cat's meow...  Makes fora very happy Acorn, especially when the style has been discontinued.

Blind Hog and Acorn have had a relatively easy week- morning walkies with Sam, a trip to Springfield.  Fence work planning going on along with pasture management and gardening. Morels, asparagus, seed starting...  Lilacs and Japanese cherry trees blooming...  Kind of.  That last hard freeze really killed off a ton of fresh growth.  Here is to hoping that was the last hard freeze!

Blind Hog and Acorn had the usual week for chores, then broke bad and went to a real theater movie (Project Hail Mary) and wrapped up the week double-dipping and attending two No Kings events. Farmers are a bit tuckered out, to say the least...  Deets are in the podcast...

Behold, the Vernal Equinox has arrived!  Temps from the low teens to the 90's in a mere week! Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy...  Piddle chores, gardening, goating, limb-carrying... Acorn fixed the cord on the grill rotisserie, by removing the ground fault and replacing it with another...  The chicken was delicious...

Mid to upper 70's and and now lows in the teens expected?  Spring of Deception indeed... Acorn baked squash and got 6 lbs of pulpy pulp for future cakes.  Canned pumpkin, if you will... Three new barn cats joined the farm- all are bonafide mousers and come with resumes.  They are acclimating to the farm, and Sam, in the pig barn.  Got the "secure stall" all cleaned out for them.

The farm received much needed rain, and Big Fat Cow finally popped her triplets today.  No more waddling around for her! Geese have been a-layin'...  Acorn's new smartwatch is alllllll about "Body Battery" and getting enough rest.  NOT what you can do when kids keep being born- lol... Daffodils are up, rhubarbs busting out.  Plum trees about to bloom as well.   Will they finall...

Will the farm see a week of rain?  perhaps.  Round #2 of kidding is about to begin, so why not? Trip to KC for auto work, then IKEA.  Lots of chores getting done around the farm.  Even got watercress for the honkers.

Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy...  Goose huts completed, a break in the weather and an impromptu trip off the farm to Hot Springs National Park and Crater of Diamonds State Park. Wheeeeee!  All the funs!  Alas- but no diamonds were discovered...

Blind Hog and Acorn had a busy week- cleaning, farm chores, sausage making and also a trip to the art museums in Arkansas for some plain old fun. Finally getting some decent rain, but will it be more than a drop in the bucket?  Time will tell!

Blind Hog was getting ready to load the cattle chute on the buyer's trailer when OH NO!  A front tire was "off the rim" flat.  Nothing could be done but to soldier on. Chute loaded, tractor moved out of the drive, and the buyer just happened to have a cordless impact wrench...  Tried to reinflate the tire but alas, the bead would not set. Other than that, snow has been melting, saus...

About 7.5" +/- and it is a lovely powder.  Has already shrunk down to 3" in the past week. Bitter cold temps, livestock managing.  Goats have even been going out to the fields, even the big boys. A trough deicer was caught in the act of melting down, replacement procured.  Acorn went for a couple walks down the road- currently is too slick to risk a fall.  Three little Norwegian roses ar...

Blind Hog and Acorn have been good little scouts- preparations planned, implemented and the farm is ready for a 10 day hunker-down, if need be. Plan for the worst, be surprised with anything less... Cattle squeeze chute put on the market and snapped up in a matter of hours- just have to wait for a break in the weather so the buyer in St Louis can come and fetch.  he is most happy to have found it,...

Blind Hog and Acorn are going to be refencing, and both had the idea of looking into a survey prior to doing any work.  Much has been learned about the history of the farm, the only known registered survey (circa 1925), about how witness rocks were placed not at corners exactly, but in the survey line "near" the corners.  Much fun trying to find them.  They have 2 down, 2 to go... Field...

Acorn has been given the green light to move about, almost like normal.  Who knew bending over would bring such joy? Plans being made for the garden.  Watering system discussed...  Goats and geese doing just fine.  Travel this year may well be limited to 1-2 nights away- Acorn wants to christen her senior lifetime National Parks pass...  Someone's picture is NOT on the senior pass, just the a...

Blind Hog and Acorn muddled through another year on the farm.  2026 looks to be most interesting, like the farmers need anything more interesting...  Normal and dull sounds quite lovely, actually. New Year's Eve featured fresh ham, New Year's Day had the usual ingredients. Acorn is thinking about the garden, Blind Hog continues being "farmer in charge" while Acorn continues rec...

The weather is just CRAZY!  Farmers are not really complaining about the 30-40+ temps above the usual average for this time of year, but 82F going to 30F for highs?  That is just not fair. A very merry Christmas was held at the farm and what follows is Acorn's birthday a couple days later.  Feasting on herring and pumpkin  pie, and a wonderful Bundt cake, both made by Savi. Goats kids are doi...

Yay!  Kidding was an eleven-day affair... Now the farmers have a break until March . Acorn's recovery is going along great- moving well, taking precautions.  Weather has helped improve spirits for all concerned. 2025 quickly coming to a close, Christmas just around the corner.  Where did the year go?

House arrest about lifted, Acorn is now driving and free from being house bound... In the meantime, a few farm and workshop projects going...  Goats started kidding (all boys so far), shop tools being powered on. Bitter cold snap moving in tonight with single digit lows, but then 50's and even 60F next week?  Craaaaaazy!

Acorn is chafing at the bit to get out and about, Blind Hog has his hands full with multi-tasking. Knock wood- no goats born so far, Acorn is about to the point where she can stand and assist Blind Hog if needed. Things ARE progressing!

Weeks of preparation are paying off as Acorn is cruising quite well post-op with new total left hip.  Blind Hog is having all the fun being nurse to Acorn as well as wearing the "head farmer hat" and taking care of everything else. Slow and careful wins this race-  Acorn wants to be on the right track without any set backs.  Now if the goats can hold off kidding for another week or two? ...

Blind Hog and Acorn have been getting all the chores done, and even took a day off to go to KC to shop at REI and IKEA.  How else was Blind Hog going to get Acorn to sit down for 7 hrs except to drive?   Farm chores are pretty much caught up now, Blind Hog should have little to worry about, save for goats kidding on his watch.  Acorn figures she will be able to get up and about in three solid week...

Steelmeadow has joined the rest of modernity- ditching the cell phone wifi for Starlink.  Put it this way, the podcast uploaded faster than it took Acorn to type these two sentences... Goat doelings were picked up.  Blind Hog had an eye exam.  Acorn had pre-op appointment and in between all this, chores have been getting done.   Weather has been crazy warm, broke a record today for high temperatur...

Lots getting done- barns scraped and dirt floors limed, garden just about ready to say goodnight for the winter, and the Subaru got new tires and an oil change.  A 2 hr long oil change...  Acorn says never, ever again ... Blind Hog is moving old firewood so new firewood an cage, with the oldest to be used first. Soups, cakes, cookies, breads, casseroles, meats, etc all being whipped up and frozen...

Blind Hog and Acorn went to a guy not too far away who had a plethora of bamboo that he lets folks dig in the Fall,  FOR FREE!!!  Seven three-gallon nursery containers got loaded up with bamboo plants ranging from 12" to 48".  Acorn is quite pleased. House plants and the last of the squash ere brought in and not a minute too soon.  The next morning was a real freeze.  The last of the tom...